Author: Remmy Butia

On her part CEC Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Mrs Mary Ng’elechei thanked the organization for choosing Nandi County to carry out the project, ‘’As a County we feel happy and privileged to spearhead this project and we would like to extend our appreciation to FAO for choosing Nandi in the entire Country to conduct this programme’’ added Ng’elechei.

The minister also reiterated government’s support towards the project, while noting the positive impact the project will bring to several women in the County, including promoting family businesses and women – led enterprises.
In addition, Ng’elechei has called farmers in the County and particularly women to utilize on the three year window of opportunity offered by FAO to improve their incomes and nutrition in their households.

The project, she added, will be implemented through Cooperatives and Groups with Lessos Dairy Cooperative already identified to kick off the programme.

Making the accusations, CEC Environment, Water & Natural Resources Dr. John Kipkorir Chumo claimed that unscrupulous KFS officials were colluding with influential timber merchants to deplete the environment.

He particularly lamented that the forest cover was being depleted each day due to the haphazard harvesting of trees from the local forest, saying this will impact negatively on the environment.

While noting that the current trend was worrying, Dr. Chumo threatened to stop cooperating with the KFS officials in the area and demanded for their transfer.

“The officers continue to collude with timber merchants by selling indigenous trees at a cost of Shs. 16,000 per tree. This trend will lead to forest depletion and drying of water sources in the area if the situation is not arrested. Over 100 indigenous trees have been cut down in South Nandi forest and this is unacceptable”, warned Dr. Chumo.

Dr. Chumo thanked the public for providing the information.

The County Executive also asked the national government to fully devolve forestry functions to counties for better management.

“Devolving forestry functions will ensure that Kenya Forest service supports County Governments in identifying forest potential while enhancing individual and institutional capacities of the county governments through capacity building to enable them develop and manage the local resources”, added Dr. Chumo.

Speaking in her office, when she received the guests Ng’elechei said that she was impressed by the innovation in the sector, adding that the County through department will consult with other departments to ensure that the technology penentrates the market.

According to the marketing officer in charge of the technology Mr Peter Bor the innovation has health benefits, cost effective and best for farmers since it doesn’t use any chemicals, electricity and shortens the ripening period thus increasing the sales.

The team had paid a courtesy visit to the department earlier today.

The County government of Nandi through the Public Service Board has advertised for the position of the Chairperson, County Education Fund as mandated by the law and who will be one of the signatory to the kitty. The development comes following the gazettement of the laws passed by the County Assembly of Nandi regulating the funds, paving way for the approval of the regulations by the Cabinet earlier this month. The process of recruiting the chairperson is set be completed by next on Friday and immediately the process of identifying the beneficiaries will commence, added Dr Lagat, ‘’we have advertised for the post of the chairperson for the Fund and by next week on Friday we will be done and immediately the process of identifying the beneficiaries will kick off’’ he added.

Further, the governor has assured the residents that he will ensure that process will be transparent and that the selection of the beneficiaries will be done by the community themselves as opposed to the previous way where names are forwarded to the County to identify the beneficiaries, ‘’ I want to assure our residents that this time round the selection of the students to who will benefit from the fund will not be done here in Kapsabet has it has been, instead the community will be the one to identify them’’ added Lagat.

Moreover, Dr Lagat has said the funds will be allocated to all needy students with those in colleges and Universities getting 30% of the fund, Youth Polythenics 30%, Special needs 10%, secondary schools 30%.

The announcement on the unveiling of the funds comes as a relief to many needy families whom they have waiting for the disbursement of the funds, after the process was halted in since 2014 due to lack of regulations to guide the funds.

Secondly, purchase, distribution and administration of drugs to various cattle dips at the sub counties is an open and transparent process overseen by proffessional County Officers at the department and at sub county levels in collaboration with the respective cattle dips committees. Needless to say, the process is watertight and devoid of malpractice.

Kapng’ombe cattle dip is one of the dips that were recently renovated by the County government of Nandi and upon its completion, the County’s Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries supplied the accaracides last year on October 2015.

However, we were later informed by the management committee that they were unable to utilize the whole package of drugs on time.The department instructed the management to return the accaracides so as to sign for the issuance of a replacement. However, to date we are still waiting for the dip management to comply.

We have also confirmed that there was no authorized officer who was sent to the said dip to carry out the mixing of the chemicals as alleged.We urge the residents to name and immediately report to us the alleged person for further action.

We therefore urge members of the public to ignore the untrue statements doing rounds on social media.

Dr Samson Bittok

DIRECTOR VERTINARY SERVICES

Mrs Kenyatta further urged the greater population to go for screening for the deadly cancer disease that has consumed the lives of many, ” I urge you all to turn up for screening, women for cervical and men for prostrate cancer”. The first lady also paid a visit to Kapsabet school for the deaf and Kapsabet referral hospital -maternity wing.

Nandi County governor Dr. Cleophas Lagat thanked the first lady for her noble initiative of delivering the mobile clinic to Nandi County terming it a milestone achievement. ” This will go a long way in reducing maternal and child deaths as well as reduction of mother to child transmission of HIV pandemic, ” he added.

The county boss also emphasized the achievements of his county in the health docket since inception of devolution, “The acquisition of 6 new ambulances and 2 others as donations from our friends in the USA has improved our emergency services, we have also acquired digital equipment such as X-ray units, ultra sound and MRI in addition to employing 400 health personel” he lamented.

Futhermore, 40 new maternity units are being constructed across the county to boost child delivery and bring better maternity services.

Present during the event were Cabinet secretary Dr. Cleopha Mailu, Nandi Deputy Governor Dominic Biwott, County First lady Florence Lagat, The county commissioner Ms.Lucy Mulili, Area Mp Alex Kosgei, Women representative Zipporah Kering among other guests.

Speaking in his office when he officially received the Title document from the steering committee Vice Chairperson Prof David Serem who was standing
in for the Chairperson Eng. Dr. Jan Mutai, Nandi County governor Dr. Cleophas Lagat said it was now all systems go adding that his administration would do whatever it takes to ensure the institution
receives the formal Legal Notice for construction to commence.

The acquisition of Tittle now paves way for the gazettement of the proposed University. He noted that the establishment of the University formed part
of his pre –election pledge to Nandi residents.

Moreover, Dr. Lagat expressed his gratitude to the Deputy president William Ruto for his support in the endevour to establish the institution having
proposed the University of Nairobi be the Mentoring University and pushed for the allocation of up to 800 million shillings by the National Government for its construction. In addition, Lagat has exuded confidence that the process was on the home stretch, hinting that works would commence immediately after a yet to be confirmed date for the laying of
the foundation by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Further, Dr Lagat said his dream of having the University was necessitated by his quest to improve the human capital in the County and to empower the
Youth through the formal and informal opportunities that will be offered by the institution,’’’We can’t develop without human capital and industry , a University is an industry and a source of employment to the Youth whether formal or informal’’ added Dr Lagat.

On their part the steering committee led by Prof. David Serem praised the governor for his relentless effort to see that the Nandi residents get a University. The Governor The establishment of Koitaleel Samoei University named after the Nandi legendary leader Koitaleel Samoei will be the first public University in
Nandi County.Nandi Hills will host the main campus while other campuseswill be opened in the other five Sub Counties, added Lagat.